There's a Good Reason These Tables Are Numbered, Honey
by aloisbae
Summary: "He's the reason you're working tonight, isn't he?" The murmur against his ear made him jump in his seat, an action which elicited a soft giggle from Alois Trancy. "If you ruin any of this, remember our little secret," he hissed under his breath. Ciel did not miss the way the blood drained from his face. As always, he had Alois Trancy wrapped around his little finger. Oneshot.


**Takes place in the same universe as my other story "Rainwater", so you may want to read that one first. Shout out to Prayer Machine for beta reading this!**

* * *

"Please leave all overcoats, canes, and top hats with the doorman," the usher called through the dark to guests filtering into the private theatre. Gaslight lanterns lined the walls and cast everything in a strange amber glow that set Ciel on edge. With the oppressive, humid air hanging overhead like a gathering storm, he gratefully complied with the instructions. He shed the topcoat as gracefully as he could, given the amount of people milling about the coat check. Handing the requested items over to the clerk behind the desk, he received in return his ticket, which he tucked into the inner pocket of his jacket.

The place had impressed Ciel so far. _Viscount Byrne must be quite enamored by the theatre to build his own within his house,_ he mused to himself as he turned from the coat check to press through the crowd of guests waiting to deposit their items. Once free from their grasp, he began to move towards the entrance to the hall itself when an all-too familiar voice pierced his ears.

"Ciel!" Damn him.

He pivoted, sharp-edged heels on wood parquet, to face the blonde menace approaching him now with a warm smile that seemed more like a flame. His clothing shimmered with vibrant purple in the amber lowlight, and unlike most others around, the color complemented him and his bluebell eyes. He was still in the habit of wearing those ridiculous shorts, just as he did those five years ago when they had first met.

"Trancy," he greeted, all ice to match the flames in the other boy's eyes. They exchanged a handshake with stiff and relaxed arms juxtaposed. As always, Alois' hand lingered in his palm.

"How have you been? I haven't seen you once this season," Alois pouted with eyelashes flapping in apathetic annoyance.

"I've been rather busy." Lying to Alois was always easy; the untruths rolled right out from between his clenched teeth.

"Too busy to see an old friend?" Alois retorted. His stance widened, and he gripped his hips. The ruby of his family ring glinted as his fingers shifted. "Honestly, people will start to think we're enemies. We should meet up more often, you and I. Maybe play some chess, or call up a ghost," he suggested with a glinting grin.

"Yes, well, the demands of my work come before socialization," Ciel insisted. He could see the approach of the tick in his eyebrow even in his own mind. It was something Alois Trancy always brought with him, alongside a dosage of inane conversation.

The earl leaned in to his ear, languidly placing a feather-light hand on his upper arm. "Then is this work?" came the whisper, so close he could feel the wetness of the blonde's breath.

He refused to respond, but Alois trilled like a songbird as he pulled away, knowing it was the affirmative. "I didn't realize you enjoyed the theatre, coming to this event and all," he continued easily.

"Actually, the Viscount invited me personally," Ciel mentioned, "He remembered that my predecessor was fond of drama, so he offered me an invitation in his memory."

"How thoughtful of him," Alois commented lightly, "Always thinking of others and striving for their well-being and all that." Ciel doubted that anyone overhearing the blonde could mistake his praise for sincerity.

"In any case, I should find my seat before the performance begins," Ciel muttered, wanting to exit this conversation quickly. He pulled his ticket from his jacket as he dragged his eyes away from the blonde inhabiting his personal circle. Nonetheless, he leaned over him to read the invitation.

"Table seven?" Alois asked. A grin split his face as he revealed his own ticket. "How serendipitous. That's my table as well."

What a ridiculous word, not even one appropriate for this happenstance. This was in no way lucky.

Without a single moment wasted, Alois hooked his arm with the other teen's arm and marched them both into the theatre. Ciel was poised to protest and push the gutsy blonde off of him, but the sight of the Viscount Byrne across the room allowed Alois to pull him along like a tugboat. The other teen dragged him to their table, sitting down next to him and leaving the third and final seat empty.

Ciel continued to watch the Viscount as he interacted with various guests, laughing and chatting normally. They were gathered over by a double door, one that Ciel assumed led to the rest of the manor. He glanced over the nobleman's acquaintances gathered round him and tried to identify them and their roles in society. Earl Reagan Gandry, who in the last session of the House of Lords had tried to vote down the recent additions to the list of illegal narcotics, Dr. Phillip Turner, head of the College of Chemistry and Medicine at Oxford University, Bishop Paul Tanip, the-

"He's the reason you're working tonight, isn't he?" The murmur against his ear made him jump in his seat, an action which elicited a soft giggle from Alois Trancy. Ciel whipped his head about to glare at the other, who pulled back to lounge in his seat in a carefully constructed pose of ease.

"If you ruin any of this, remember our little secret," he hissed under his breath. The blonde simply gave a short laugh in response, but Ciel did not miss the way the blood drained from his cheeks and lips and the bluebells of his eyes transforming to rainwater.

As always, he had Alois Trancy wrapped about his little finger.

With the mood appropriately sobered, they stewed in uncomfortable silence until a new voice wiggled into their circle.

"Earls Phantomhive and Trancy, am I correct?"

Both looked up in synchronization at their new guest. He was a young man, not more than a few years older than the two of them. His skin was the color of soft leather dappled with freckles, and he wore his dark hair short. He smiled easily at them with warm brown eyes and nicely cleaned but still crooked teeth.

"Daniel Cormac," he introduced, holding his arm out for a handshake. Ciel took his hand and noted the strong grip and callouses against his own satin palm. From the lower class, originally, it seemed, but his handshake was firm and proper. Constructed.

Alois, on the other hand, offered a limp arm and hand, and Ciel could see the disinterest in his half lidded eyes despite the spreading smile. "I assume you are our third table guest?" he said with a voice like a chime.

Daniel nodded and took the empty seat next to Ciel. His clothes were nice, but not near the status of Alois' or his own dress.

"Yes, I am. I apologize, I didn't expect to be dining with nobility tonight," he admitted with a bashful smile.

"It's quite alright," Ciel assured him. He was annoyed to be stuck between two people he didn't particularly enjoy. Especially when the one on his right seemed much more interested in this new person than he was.

Alois was practically leaning over Ciel to talk to him. "So, Mr. Cormac, what do you do for a living?" he asked with his chin in his hands. Already he was putting on that ridiculous flirting act. Disgusting.

"Oh, I'm a trade manager for Phoenix Spices," he replied, obviously eager to talk about his position, "The Viscount invited me tonight as a reward for my hard work, or so he says."

"Well, you certainly have accomplished a lot for someone so young," Alois returned, one of those wicked smiles spreading his lips like butterfly wings.

Daniel laughed sheepishly. "Oh, believe me, it's nothing compared to what I've heard about Funtom," he humbly said. His eyes traveled to Ciel, two dark holes in his otherwise warm face.

"Phoenix is on the rise, though. You should be proud of the company's journey so far. Comparing oneself to others is a surefire way to kill ambition," Ciel replied softly as he scanned the other with dark, suspicious eyes. Something about this man made him cringe, but maybe it was the aroma of Indian hemp that seeped out from beneath a strong cologne.

"Though, I've heard Phoenix has taken a blow or two recently," Alois chimed in. Ciel didn't like the look in his eyes or where he was taking this conversation. "I heard you've had several managers die of overdose of some new drug on the market. It must be difficult, finding new employees."

Damn that brat. Ciel fixed him with a sidelong glare, which Alois received with one of those sickeningly innocent smiles he hid in his pockets. Of course he would know that Ciel was investigating that drug and the person allowing it entrance into England, but did he really need to mention it to an employee of the company suspected in the first place?

"Oh, that whole mess…" Daniel's face sobered quickly. "It's very unfortunate. I was promoted recently as a result, but still, it's awful. Are there no men left who walk the straight and narrow?"

"Well, it is a rather dull path, and one that is very easy to fall from," Alois said with a shrug, relaxing back into his chair.

"Ciel!" A familiar voice lilted from behind his chair. He turned to face the young woman approaching with a large smile on her brother's arm. Elizabeth and Edward. Shit.

"I didn't know you were attending this!" she exclaimed as she approached, and he stood to talk with her. "If I had known, you could have escorted me."

"It is rather unfortunate, especially since it seems you dressed up for the occasion," he replied, not missing an opportunity to compliment her outfit. She had sixteen winters now, compared to his fifteen, and they were to be married once she hit her seventeenth this New Year's. She had most definitely become more of a refined young woman than an unwieldy little girl in these past years, especially after she had opened up to Ciel about her prowess with the sword.

Lizzy's eyes lit up at the small bit of praise, and her smile only continued to grow. "You like it? I got it just this week. The fashion is all the rage in Paris," she explained, swiveling her hips a bit to emphasize the red cloth that swathed them.

"You look stunning," he said, and her blush almost gave him one. He could feel Alois' eyes on the back of his head. He was probably sticking his tongue out or something equally childish. Instead, he focused his attention on his cousin.

Edward stood awkwardly next to his sister, shifting his weight from foot to foot as if unsure as to how to react to his sister receiving praise based on her beauty. Ciel nodded at him in acknowledgement of his presence. "Edward. How has Weston been?" he asked politely.

"Decent enough," he replied, smiling back at him politely, "Will you be attending the graduation ceremony in two weeks?"

"I hope to," Ciel replied, though it seemed as though the evening's meal was about to begin as plates were being passed out and the lights were dimming. He turned a demure smile back to Lizzy. "Well, it seems we should take our seats. We can talk after the show."

Lizzy nodded happily to this and waved as she and Edward walked to their table, one closer to the exit. Ciel resumed his seat with a soft sigh and a release of tense muscles. With Lizzy and Edward around, his job would only be harder to accomplish if things went south.

"Something wrong, Ciel? Not happy to see your fiancée?" Alois asked with feigned innocence and a pout. Before he could tell the other to bugger off, an elegantly dressed woman stepped up into a spotlight on the stage. Ciel immediately recognized her as the Viscount's wife, Amelie Byrne, daughter of Count Foret of France.

"Ladies and gentlemen, good evening," came her lilting voice over the crowd. It was said that at one point, she had run away to start a career in acting. Her ability to project her voice was a testament to this, if it were true. "Viscount Byrne and I would like to welcome you to tonight's performance of _Much Ado about Nothing_. We hope everything is to your liking. Enjoy the show!"

A light round of applause followed her off stage as the theatre darkened and the meal and play both began.

* * *

For Ciel, intermission came all too slowly. As the lights came up on the theatre once more, the double doors to his left drew his eyes once more. Beyond them lay all the answers and evidence he needed, and yet he couldn't sneak off just yet. He needed a distraction.

"Well, that was quite a good first half," Daniel interrupted his thoughts, smiling at him. "To be honest, I've never seen it. I wonder how it'll pan out in the end?"

"Oh, you know, probably some rubbish ending," Alois chimed in. Ciel glanced at him in his carefully constructed pose of boredom. What a queer boy. Always pretending to seem the opposite of what he felt, for Ciel could see the way his eyes flickered like bluebells on a windy hill somewhere in the past.

Daniel laughed at his comment. "This is a play by Shakespeare, though, isn't it? The Bard himself. You would call his work rubbish?" he asked as he pulled an ornamented cigarette box from his suit jacket. He carefully selected one, then offered the box to Ciel. He took one gratefully; his asthma had been bothersome as of late, and the doctor had recommended tobacco as a solution. He lit the cigarette on the candle in the middle of the table and put it between his lips, taking a deep breath with closed eyes.

Daniel offered the box to Alois as well, but he politely declined with a wave of his hand. He didn't see the way Alois' eyes hardened to steel in that moment.

"Honestly, I don't think he's all that great," Alois admitted, putting on airs once more, "All his works are common rubbish for the lower classes. Filled with in appropriate jokes and the like, it's downright disgraceful to call him a great anything, and I think he would agree were he here."

Ciel blew the smoke from his lungs above the table. "For once, Alois, I must agree. It's commoner's rubbish, this play. Only some uneducated poor boy would find any worth in it," he said, turning a knowing smirk on him. The blonde paled a shade, but bravely smiled back.

Daniel sheepishly grinned. "I think his mastery is that anyone can enjoy it. It's got plenty of dirty jokes, that's right, but it's got ones that only the upper class might understand, too. The best of both worlds," he explicated, "Anyway, if you'll excuse me, I need to run to the water closet." He got up and put out his cigarette on the ash tray before walking off into the dim light.

Ciel waved him off and took another drag from the cigarette. Intermission was to last roughly fifteen minutes – not nearly long enough for him to slip away unnoticed. He would simply have to sneak away during the fourth-

Suddenly he was aware of Alois Trancy terrifyingly close to his face. The blonde yanked the cigarette from between his lips and chucked it across the room. Ciel's eyes went big, wondering what had possessed the other boy. Eyebrows began to furrow as he prepared to berate him for acting so out of line, but suddenly he was tumbling to the ground. Alois' body pressed him down from above, and he thought he heard him shout something.

A second later, a deep boom sounded through the room.

Several people screamed at once, and Ciel's ears rang with it all as heat blossomed over them. He shoved Alois off of him and sat up to look at the chaotic surroundings. A table was on fire and several mutilated corpses circled it. The sight brought his dinner back up, and he heaved away from the blonde next to him.

The fire was spreading quickly. Alois crouched next to Ciel, and when he looked at the other, he saw the blood and the singed tips of his hair and realized that Alois had just saved his life. He wanted to say something, but all he did was stammer.

"Come on, we need to leave," Alois insisted, pulling Ciel up by the arm. Ciel jerked away from him suddenly and looked frantically about for any sign of his cousins. He could hardly see anything through the smoke that was billowing through the room.

"No, I need to stay. Find Lizzy and Edward and make sure they get out safely," he ordered.

"But-!"

"Alois!" It was a rare occurrence for Ciel to use the other's Christian name, and Alois froze when he did. His brow furrowed in frustration, but he nodded and released the grip he had on the other's arm with a look of defeat and acceptance.

"I'll get them out safely. Just don't do anything stupid," he growled. Ciel nodded and watched as he ran through the billowing smoke, jumping lithely over debris and bodies alike. Coughing now, Ciel quickly grabbed a cloth napkin from the table and soaked it in some miraculously unspilled water pitcher.

Holding it to his mouth, he picked his way over to the double doors and did his best to ignore the scene. Only a few were dead, it seemed, but more had been injured. He couldn't worry about them now, though. This was his only chance.

Bursting through the double doors into the dark hallways of the Byrne manor, Ciel felt a surge of relief as the smoke did not follow quite so strongly here. He ran with no regard for stealth. The clicking of his heels against marble echoed through the halls and up the staircase as he headed for what he thought to be the Viscount's bedroom.

After several wrong doors, he finally found it, the master bedroom. The only light came from the grand windows which let in the city streetlamps, the rays of the full, heavy moon, and the flickering light from the fire that raged in the theatre nearby. The shadows in the bedroom danced and raised gooseflesh on his arms, but he ignored this sensation and got to work, rifling through drawer upon drawer, looking for anything that might be damning.

He found nothing.

He swore beneath his breath, looking about the room for some other solution. He had been through all the Viscount's things. The only other option was…

His eyes rested on what he assumed to be the lady's dresser. He bolted to it and began to rummage through the silks and satins contained within, grasping at any straw that might help. He felt exposed with his back to the door, and he needed to hurry before the flames consumed this complex as well.

There.

He produced from the lady's undergarment drawer a small, soft leather notebook. Ciel flipped it open quickly, only to find a leger of accounts which certainly filled in the missing holes for Phoenix Spices' budget. It wasn't the Viscount trafficking the drugs, but his wife.

A soft click sounded behind him, and he froze.

"I see that Daniel was unsuccessful in his task," the soft voice of the Viscountess came. Ciel tucked the notebook into his vest and slowly turned around, the wheels in his brain racing as he stared at Lady Byrne in the open doorway and the pistol she had trained on his forehead.

"It was you all along," Ciel murmured, "Well played. But the Queen isn't too happy."

She gave a light laugh. "I've noticed. Too bad for you."

In a slow second, he saw the muscles in her arm tense their way down to the trigger. He jumped to the floor all too slowly as a gunshot rang out. He was going to be hit, he knew, but a woman's scream rang out instead of his own.

From his stomach on the floor, he looked up to see the Viscountess collapsed and holding her leg as blood pooled out from beneath her sea of skirts. His eyes travelled up to the blonde boy standing in the door with a smoking pistol in his hand and a violent sparkle in his bluebell eyes.

Alois Trancy.

He ran forward and dragged Ciel to his feet. "I thought I told you not to do anything stupid," he hissed as he pulled Ciel out into the hallway at a sprint, leading him back from whence they came.

Ciel wheezed as they ran. The smoke billowing down the hall in thin wisps combined with the act of running was triggering his asthma, and he felt lightheaded. "I-I had to. Are Lizzy and Edward out safely?" he panted, and Alois stopped, noticing his difficulty.

"They're fine, they got out, but can you make it?" he asked as he stared him in the eye, "We can't go the other way, Lady Byrne has a group of burly looking blokes waiting for us. We have to go through the theatre, it's the only other exit."

"I-I…" He was interrupted by a series of coughs that rattled his ribs. Alois grimaced and turned around, crouching a bit.

"Get on, hurry!" he commanded, holding his arms for the other. Ciel wanted to protest, but now was not the time. He crawled onto the other's back and wrapped his arms around his collarbone, doing his best not to choke the other. He felt Alois' callous hands hook under his knees firmly, and soon they were on their way once more.

Ciel buried his face into the boy's shoulder to keep as much smoke out of his lungs as possible. He smelled like blood, smoke, and lavender. His coughing did not subside as they neared the theatre and the smoke grew more and more.

With some difficulty, Alois opened the double doors to a raging inferno. From what Ciel could see, even more bodies littered the floor, and the wood was slick with blood. Some of the roof had collapsed, but there appeared to be at least one clear exit for them.

Alois seemed to be having a bit of trouble carrying the other boy, but he kept him on his back as he marched bravely into the flames. The smoke brought reverberating coughs from his chest that shook Ciel's own body, but he continued to pick his way over smoldering debris and bodies crushed by the structural downfall, others burnt crisp and beyond recognition.

They were doing well, going at a slow pace through the heat, until Alois slipped.

They crashed into a pool of half-caked blood. The scarlet seeped into their clothes. Ciel was quick to roll off of Alois and let him get up, but the coughs that shook his body didn't allow him to follow suit. Alois was reaching down to offer him a hand when a gunshot rang out.

Blood splattered across Ciel's cheeks.

Alois' eyes went wide and a scream reverberated through his throat. He collapsed in Ciel's lap, clutching the wound in his shoulder that seeped blood out over the two of him. Ciel jerked his head and saw Lady Byrne through the smoke, leaning heavily on the door frame with a shaking pistol in her hand.

With trembling hands shaken by coughs, Ciel pulled out his own pistol which he had hidden under his vest from the very beginning. A bang and a scream later, the Viscountess lay bleeding on the floor with a hole in her heart.

"A-Alois!" Ciel managed through his coughs. They had to hurry; their window of escape was closing. The blonde grunted in pain and shakily looked up.

"Shit, that… hurt…" He coughed.

"Are you alright?" he asked, assessing the wound in his shoulder. It looked clean. The only risk at the current time was if he bled out.

"Should be…" Alois leaned on Ciel, hands on his hips, as if he were going to push himself to his feet. He leaned in close to the boy, their breaths mixing together in what little space was left between them.

"We need to get out of here!" Ciel insisted. He grabbed the boy's waist and tried to push him up. Instead, he felt the soft caress of lips on his own.

Alois had his lips pressed urgently to Ciel's mouth and was sucking at his upper lip. He had no idea how to react to this other than to imitate the other's actions. They kissed, and Alois' tongue snaked into Ciel's mouth, behind his upper lip and between his teeth. His teeth dragged at the younger's upper lip, and a whimpering moan quivered in his throat.

As soon as it had begun, it stopped.

Alois pulled away with a short laugh at the string of saliva that connected them. "S-Sorry, I… wanted to do that before I died, potentially," he hacked out, gripping his shoulder with a grimace. Tears were running down his cheeks, clearing away the blood that painted his pale face.

"I-Idiot!" Ciel chided with a flushed face hidden behind a mask of soot and blood. "We'll both die if we don't go now!"

"R-Right," and with that, Alois stumbled to his feet and grabbed Ciel's hand with his good arm.

They picked their way through the flaming debris, and Ciel gripped Alois' hand long after it was necessary. Hand-in-hand, they stumbled out of the smoky entranceway and collapsed together on the concrete patio outside.

The last thing Ciel saw before blacking out was Alois' smile as several firefighters descended upon them.

* * *

Ciel bolted up out of bed with a gasp.

The familiar, calming scent of chamomile tea greeted his nose in contrast to the smoke and blood he thought had been present just a moment ago. He was safe in his bedroom beneath the fluffy covers of his duvet, though his body ached horribly. He coughed lightly and squinted at the daylight that streamed through the windows.

"Good morning, young master. How are you feeling this morning?" Tanaka's calm and steady voice soothed his rapidly beating heart. He looked over as the butler went through his morning routine of preparing his tea and clothes. He even had breakfast for bed, it seemed.

"Tanaka, what happened…?" he asked with a hoarse voice. He coughed a few more time.

"A terrible fire broke out last night at Lord Byrne's dinner party," he said as he approached the bedside with a cup of chamomile tea. He handed it tenderly to Ciel, who took it gratefully. "But it seems you were able to get out alright. The paramedics said you would be fine with a bit of rest, so today's schedule is cleared to allow for your health."

Ciel sipped at the tea, relieved at the soothing effect it had on his raw throat. He allowed himself to relax momentarily before remembering several very important things.

"The notebook, I-!"

"It is taken care of, my lord." Tanaka gave a slight bow. "I have it safely stored in your personal safe."

Ciel's alarmed expression turned towards the butler. "Alois Trancy was with me, is he…?"

"Lord Trancy was admitted to the hospital last night, but the report from Madam Red so far is that he is in a stable condition. He should be quite alright in a few days' time," Tanka explained with a small, knowing smile that brought a blush to Ciel's cheeks. He set the teacup back in its saucer and handed it back to Tanaka.

"Help me dress. We're going to pay him a visit."

* * *

After even the brief ride to the hospital, Ciel was exhausted. His whole body was sore from last night's affairs, and his throat pained him. He coughed from time to time, and each one felt as though someone were raking their fingernails down his windpipe. The only thing that kept him going was the faint memory of a pair of lips pressed to his.

He shook in his seat. No, he needed to check because Alois Trancy was his trump card. He couldn't have him out of commission for too long.

And yet there he was, clutching a bouquet.

Ciel leaned heavily on his walking stick as he made his way into Saint Mary's Royal Hospital. A kind clerk directed him to the room Alois was resting in, which thank God was on the first floor. Ciel hobbled into the private room, coughing slightly at the sterile stench of the hospital.

Alois lay amongst the crisp white sheets. He was sleeping with his mouth open just barely. He was neatly tucked beneath the sheets, and his golden hair fanned out around his head like a halo on the pillow. A fresh bandage bound his right shoulder tightly; it seemed as though he might not be able to use that one for a couple of weeks.

Ciel quietly pulled a straight wooden chair up alongside the bed and waited.

He waited for about an hour, memorizing every detail of Alois Trancy in the meantime as the flowers he had brought watched over them from the vase on the bedside table. He almost jumped in surprise when they boy's eyes cracked open. Slowly, agonizingly, he stirred awake with a series of hisses and grunts as he shifted his sore body up from the mattress.

He didn't notice Ciel for a moment as he stretched and cracked his joints and the bones slid back into place. Ciel watched him with something akin to amazement, an expression which he quickly wiped from his face when the boy fixed his eyes on him.

"Ciel…?" he whispered in a hoarse morning voice, looking both confused and delighted.

"Alois," Ciel returned in a voice just as quiet.

"You're alright. Good…" he mused quietly, looking the boy up and down for injuries.

"It seems you didn't leave unscathed, though," Ciel said as his eyes rested on his bandaged shoulder beneath the open neck of the hospital gown. Alois glanced down at it and laughed softly with a smile.

"It'll leave one pretty scar, ey?" he imagined, "But yeah. Doc says I'll live at least."

Ciel nodded, and they lapsed into a silence like a light wool blanket. Alois' eyes wandered the room, noting every detail much differently in the daylight than by candles and the sounds of surgeons. Finally, his eyes came to rest on the small bouquet next to his bedside.

"Oh? Flowers, even?" he asked in that lilting, teasing tone he reserved for Ciel. He didn't miss the light dusting of pink sprinkled across the other's cheeks. Tenderly, he reached over and pulled the vase into his lap to examine each blossom closely.

"Agrimony? Appropriate, considering what I did save your life quite a few times last night," he mused, pulling one of the yellow stalks from the assortment and twirling it about in his fingers. He slid it back in place and moved on.

"Bluebells." The tone in his voice grew notably nostalgic and soft. He pulled the stem of blue flowers from the rest and held it tenderly to his face, letting the soft petals caress his cheeks. The smell filled his nostrils and he heard a child's laugh echo somewhere. "For constancy. Constancy of gratitude, perhaps?" Ciel noted the way Alois cradled that blue blossom that matched his eyes so perfectly. Even this he replaced in the vase as he moved on to the third flower.

"Or constancy of this?" he asked as he pulled the last white and yellow bloom from the bouquet. His face shifted back to that familiar, devious grin, not unlike an imp or some other mischievous faerie. He tucked the jonquil behind his ear and faced Ciel with half-lidded eyes. "You do know what jonquils mean, right, Ciel?"

There was no hiding the scarlet tint that had bloomed all the way up to Ciel's ears.

Alois laughed softly and set the vase aside, leaving the jonquil in his hair. His hand floated over Ciel's hand, which was gripping his knee with white knuckles. Somehow, his delicate fingers slipped between Ciel's, and he laughed when he noted how the boy was shaking.

"It's alright," he murmured, tugging gently on his hand. Ciel leaned forward with his breath coming in short bursts as Alois met his lips once again.

There was less urgency this time. It felt more like Alois' lips were smoldering against his rather than burning. He sucked gently at his upper lip with closed eyes, and Ciel returned the gesture in earnest. He scooted closer to the bed, closing the gap between them with his hand still clutching Alois' tightly. His free hand wandered to his waist and rested there easily, and he felt Alois' feathery touch on the small of his back. Before he knew it, Ciel had his knees on the bed, straddling Alois' thigh as the other lay down, their lips never parting.

Alois pulled away when Ciel suppressed a cough in his throat, smiling up at him. "I'd love to take this further, Phantomhive, but we are in a hospital, and what we're up to could get us prison time, so…" he murmured as his hands danced to brush black hair from the other's crimson face. Ciel scrambled off the bed as a coughing fit assaulted him.

"I-I should go, th-there's a lot to be done today," he muttered as though he weren't still tasting Alois on his tongue. The blonde lay still in the bed and gave a short laugh.

"Promise you'll visit me before the season ends?" he called softly from his pillow, "If we're at my house, we can do a lot more together."

Ciel was grabbing his walking stick as he turned his horrifically embarrassed expression on Alois, which brought giggles from him. "Like summon a ghost, remember?" he teased, smirking at the red-faced boy.

"R-Right… F-Feel better. We have a lot of work to do," Ciel ended, scurrying out of the room as quickly as he could. Alois' laughter followed him and died down soon after he left. The blonde boy nestled himself into the sheets, glancing at the bright bouquet in the otherwise sterile, white room. Absently, he stroked the jonquil still tucked in his hair.

"Gratitude, constancy, and desire…" he murmured at the flowers as he drifted off into rosy dreams of Ciel Phantomhive.


End file.
